Professional Report

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Last Updated: 6/3/2010
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• for student-athletes/parents)
• (for school staff)
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NCAA
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• (for student-athletes/parents)
• (for school staff)
Q4. What role does the student credit flexibility plan play in determining OHSAA and
NCAA eligibility?
A4. An individual student initiates a request (written or verbal determined locally) to take a
course via the Credit Flex option. The school counselor and/or teacher of record should
then meet with the student to develop the student credit flexibility plan that is to be
signed by the student, by the appropriate school officials and by the student’s parents
to signify agreement with the plan.
It is within this student credit flexibility plan that students, parents, and school staff
should have the discussion regarding athletic eligibility and write into the plan the
mechanisms agreed to in order to meet specific OHSAA and/or NCAA eligibility
requirements (e.g., access and interaction with instructor, assessment plan). The
student credit flexibility plan could also be shared with the OHSAA and/or NCAA to
ensure compliance if questions still remain after the completion of the individual
learning plan.
Q5. How will the recent NCAA interpretation on nontraditional courses impact Credit
Flexibility Plans?
A5 Recent information sent to schools from the National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA) Eligibility Center regarding prospective Division I student-athletes and
coursework taken in nontraditional classroom settings may impact school district Credit
Flexibility Plans. Specifically, schools are advised to counsel prospective Division I
student-athletes not to utilize the test-out option of Credit Flexibility and to be certain
that any coursework earned via Credit Flexibility be comparable in length, content and
rigor as credits earned in a traditional classroom setting. The course also must be four-
year, college-preparatory in nature and have a defined time period for completion.
Although the design of the Credit Flexibility Policy calls for including those credits on the
student transcript in the same manner as credits earned via traditional classroom
settings, the NCAA requires that any credits earned through nontraditional ways
(distance learning, online, credit recovery, etc.) must be so designated on the transcripts